Patiala law varsity stir: Students refuse to budge, 3 members of grievances panel quit

Patiala : The protest by students of the Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law (RGNUL), Patiala, against the vice-chancellor (V-C) entered Day 3 on Tuesday even as three members of a panel formed to resolve students’ grievances resigned.

On Monday, the authorities issued orders for closing the university till further orders. The development came a day after the students held a protest against the V-C for allegedly invading the privacy of girl students at their hostel. According to the protesting students, the V-C had allegedly conducted a surprise check of the girls’ hostel and had questioned the dressing sense of the girls thus invading their privacy.

The protesting students staged a dharna outside the V-C’s residence on the university campus. They laid a siege and spent the night in front of the V-C’s house, demanding his resignation.

On Monday, talks between agitating students and the university officials could not yield result. The security guards barricaded the main gates of the university and no outsider was allowed to enter the premises.

Denying the allegations, V-C Jai Shankar said he visited the girls’ hostel only to address their complaints regarding overcrowding in hostel.

Meanwhile, three members of a nine-member committee constituted by university authorities to resolve students’ grievances resigned on Tuesday.

The committee had scheduled a meeting with protesters on Tuesday evening, but students refused to participate.

“We were informed by the V-C that no faculty member will visit the campus and the meeting of the committee with students will not be held on Tuesday. In the evening, the university authorities decided to hold a meeting and we were asked to come on a very short notice. It was impossible for us to reach the campus within a few minutes. Seemingly, the authorities wanted us to stay away from the meeting and we decided to quit,” said one of the members who resigned from the grievances committee.

“The authorities are going all out to scuttle our protest. They have shut the university for an indefinite period and asked students to go home. Faculty members are forcing senior students to persuade us to call off the protest. We want resignation of the V-C,” said a girl student, requesting anonymity.

Minister seeks report

Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains on Tuesday sought a report from the registrar of RGNUL regarding the students’ protest. “I assure students that justice will be delivered,” the minister said.

Congress’ Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor took to X saying: “Disturbing to read that Patiala’s RGNUL has been shut after students demanded the V-C’s resignation over a surprise girls’ hostel inspection to ‘check on drinking after midnight’, and a disgraceful pattern of sexist remarks on women. It is startling that the vice-chancellor of a law university seems completely unaware of his students’ constitutional right to privacy. The government should immediately appoint a commission of inquiry and the V-C should step aside until its findings are released. The behaviour reported in the media seems at the least inappropriate.”